For info on how to take care of your septic tank read this through till the end and find out lot's of good information. We have been in the septic business since 1965. as A & D Drain and Pumping service and in 2007 my father moved to Sierra Vista and opened up McCoy's septic pumping. I ran the Ca. office for 6 more years until dad had health issues. I came here to run this one in 2013 and have bee
n doing so since 2014. We have never had anyone complain about our work or our honesty. We are the only company that can/will actually repair a septic tank in Cochise county. We also educate our customers on the things they should know about having a septic system. See some of the list of things we are good at and do on a regular basis in the about section of this page. McCoy's Septic 520-378-0707
Some myths about septic tanks
It takes care of itself, nature will run its’ course. When stuff goes out to the septic tank it just disintegrates and disappears. If I put an additive in my tank that’s all I need to do. It’s just our private sewer. If we keep our pipes clear we’ll never have any problems. Do’s and Don’ts for your septic system
Don’t:
Don’t put feminine products, baby wipes, paper towels, sanitary wipes, flushable wipes, diapers, cleaning rags, disposable diapers or condoms down the toilet. Don’t put grease, oil, paint, empty containers, or other chemicals down your drains or toilet. Try not to put any disinfectants, antibacterial products especially liquids down your drains or toilet. They will stay in the tank and not pass to the leach field. Examples are vinegar, bleach, Lysol cleaners, or other floor cleaners. If you want to use these cleaning products on your floors dump the water outside somewhere, not down the toilet. Do not use the disinfectant cleaners that mount in the toilet bowl or toilet tank and cleanse with every flush. Do not use man made additives to create bacteria in your septic tank, they create extra corrosive gases creating a much stronger caustic environment in the tank and in a closed septic tank the gases will eat the concrete much faster. The longer the tank remains closed the more concentrated the gases become. Hydrogen sulfide gas (acid gas) is what is created from our stomach acids these additives make much more gas form and makes them much more powerful than naturally generated gases. Examples of feminine products are; panty liners or their wrapper, tampons or their applicator, hair products, etc., do not put them down the toilet, throw them in the trash. Using disinfectant or antibacterial hand soaps, body washes, or germ killing agents/liquids for your skin are major problem because they get used very frequently. (Hot water and regular soap kills germs on your hands and skin by washing for 20 seconds.) Do:
Use disinfectant wipes for surfaces you want to kill germs on, then throw them in the trash. Use liquid or gel type soaps, the undissolved powder soap will collect in the pipes, usually just before the tank and cause blockages. Limit loads of laundry with chlorine bleach to say 2 on Tues. and then 2 on Fri. or use chlorine free bleach. For hard water stains in the toilet use a pumice stone. For killing germs in the toilet use a disinfectant wipe wrapped on the brush and scrub with it then throw it away don’t flush it down the toilet. Check all soaps and cleaners for germ killing ingredients, if not sure call the phone num. on the label and ask if it kills germs, make it sound like you would like it too, when you ask, so they will tell you the truth. You need bacteria in your tank to break down solid waste. Some medicines will kill your bacteria, If you’re taking a lot of medicine add bacteria generating products more frequently. (Monthly)
You should add something that will create bacteria every couple of months to help your septic system. For example: Brewer’s yeast or baker’s yeast is the best, if it’s activated in warm water first. Spoiled milk, old yogurt, cottage cheese are also okay. One of the easiest, inexpensive and most readily available additives is a half a gallon of buttermilk every 2 months works well. But putting a bacteria generator in your tank won’t help if you put antibacterial products down the drains or toilet, nothing will. If you use a lot of toilet paper in your family, it’s best to go with dissolvable toilet paper. Toilet paper does not disappear, it builds up and caches in the tank creating problems for the bacteria to break down the solid waste. Bacteria doesn’t break down toilet paper and will not stop caches of paper mixed with solid waste from building up on the surface inside the tank. Use RV paper or it can be found at Wal Mart. Misconceptions: Septic tank safe on labels only means it won’t corrode the concrete of the septic tank, not that it won’t kill germs or the bacteria you need inside the tank for the tank to function. Things that are optional, but help to preserve the life of your tank. Access Risers are important! Access risers will save you money on maintenance pumping. Most tanks are underground and need to be excavated in order to access the inside of them from the 24in. diameter openings that are built into most of them, (from the 90’s forward) so they can be cleaned properly, which will cost extra each time you pump. They will also need to be excavated in order to get an inspection of the tank for the property when you sell. By adding risers you’ll only pay the one time to excavate the tank to gain access to it. Venting the tank will stop the corrosive gases from building up. Gases can get to a concentration level that will corrode the concrete. This can be costly. If the tank is not venting properly, the problem is with the pipe from the house to the tank, it has to be re-set correctly so the air can pass from the pipe vent on the roof, or in the attic to the tank correctly without any type of inhibition of the air flow. To rebuild your tank is very costly and sometimes it can’t be done and you’ll have to put in a new one. An extra ventilation of the tank will help keep the gases from becoming highly concentrated and can be done very easily when you have risers. Just open them every 6 months or once year, (twice is better) and let it air out for several hours. Installing a filter in the outgoing pipe to the leach field is recommended, all you do to clean them is take it out and hose it off, then put it back. This should be done at least once a year depending on your household, you might need to clean it every six months. It’s very easy and will save your leach field. If you have a filter for the leach field, you have to open the riser to access the filter for cleaning, so when you do that, just open both risers, just leave the tops off for a several hours to let the gases dissipate, especially if the tank already has corrosion present. This will help your tank from corroding as quickly as it would if it remained closed. The real cure is to create a good venting from the house to the tank. A regular maintenance pumping schedule will save you $$ and problems with your system. We recommend every 3-4 years with a family of four on a thousand gallon tank. (Bacteria functioning correctly.)
